Professional Development


Image reads Nolej AI Generate e-learning in minutes not hours. 1. Upload content 2. AI Generator 3. Plug and Play

OpenAI-Based Instructional Design Generator Nolej AI Now Available

A French generative AI ed tech startup called Nolej (pronounced “knowledge”) has quietly launched a new OpenAI-based instructional content generator for educators, called Nolej AI, ahead of its official introduction at BETT in London on March 30 and a planned commercial debut at the ASU+GSV Summit on April 19, the company's chairman told THE Journal.

illustration created by DALL-E shows a teacher in front of a blackboard wielding a sword over a futuristic robot. Text reads "expert viewpoint" with logo for THEjournal.com

Why Our Technology Nonprofit is Embracing ChatGPT and AI in Education

A technology educator shares how her nonprofit is using ChatGPT to help students participating in Technovation programs go further in their brainstorming and ideation as they aim to develop AI-based solutions to real-world problems. Here’s a concrete example from our program: Students in one group were interested in developing technology-based solutions to food wastage and conservation, encouraging more students to read, exercise, and be more inclusive.

ASCD Launches Professional Learning Platform Witsby

ASCD this week unveiled its new professional learning and credentialing platform, Witsby. The new platform is designed to provide a range of learning tools across multiple platforms and provide "personalized professional learning paths to help educators stay on track — and on pace — to meet their evolving needs and goals."

illustrated drawing of a microbit plugged into a laptop

How We Launched a Districtwide Computer Science Program with Just 4 Teachers and No Formal CS Training

At this California school district, a new weekly prep period for all teachers opened the door for four Teachers on Special Assignment to travel to each campus and teach Computer Science to primary students once a week — here's how the TOSAs (with no formal training in computer science) dove into the new subject to add computer science instruction to every classroom grades K-6.

Curriculum Associates' Free Webinar Series on Science of Reading Instructional Strategies Starts March 2

Curriculum Associates will launch a free K–12 webinar series starting March 2 and continuing through May 18 to help educators move from understanding to implementing science of reading, research-based teaching strategies in their classrooms. Titled “The Science of Reading: Putting Research into Action,” the seven-part series will cover phonology, multisyllabic words, alphabetics, decodable readers, phonics instruction, and word recognition.

Image shows woman with a young student on a laptop alongside Microsoft Reimagine Education Feb 9, 2023

Microsoft Reimagine Education Event Set for Thursday, Feb. 9

Microsoft Education is gearing up to introduce new learning tools and share more details about recently launched tools during a virtual event for educators and education leaders on Thursday, Feb. 9, the company said.

Samsung announced a new free Educator Community is coming soon

TCEA 2023: Samsung Unveils Free Educator Community Platform Coming Soon

Samsung Electronics America is offering TCEA 2023 attendees this week a sneak peek at the new Samsung Education Community Platform expected to launch soon, saying it “will offer educators an online discussion forum, access to peer and expert coaching, and free, self-paced professional development courses, enabling them to develop new strategies for leveraging technology that can enhance classroom engagement and learning outcomes for all students."

photo from SXSW EDU 2022 man holding microphone on stage with banner in background saying SXSW EDU LAUNCH

SXSW EDU Highlights: Education Design, Poetry and Nature as Teaching Tools, and 'Real Talk' with National Teachers of the Year

The second half of SXSW EDU 2023’s featured sessions focus on: building sustainable early childhood education; the roles of poetry, art, and nature in helping youths connect and establish their sense of identity; and what two National Teachers of the Year really think about educators, diversity, agency, and representation.

Aurora Institue logo, screenshot of webinar intro to CBE from Aurora Institute website

Aurora Institute Invites Curious Educators to a One-Hour Overview of CBE Model

Education nonprofit Aurora Institute will hold a free one-hour “Intro to CBE” webinar on Wednesday, Jan. 25, intended for K–12 educators and administrators curious about the foundations of competency-based education: what CBE is and how to enable educators to consider using the CBE model in their classrooms.

Lexia Intros Self-Paced Digital Program for Grade 4-8 Educators Teaching Literacy Skills

Literacy company Lexia has introduced Lexia Aspire Professional Learning to help educators of grade 4-8 students teach literacy skills, focusing on helping them transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” Aspire Professional Learning is digital, self-paced, and flexible. It expands on Lexia’s existing LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) program, which teaches the fundamentals of reading instruction. The Aspire program aims to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to support varying levels of literacy competency in their classrooms, the company said.